


Darling, I'll Stand by You

by themarvel



Category: Dan Howell - Fandom, Phan, Phandom, Phil Lester - Fandom, dan and phil, plantboy!phil - Fandom, spaceboy!dan - Fandom, spaceboy!dan and plantboy!phil, youtube - Fandom
Genre: M/M, May be triggering in later chapters, Maybe a little angst, but fluff too, i love this au smh, lots of fluff, ok more than a little angst, spaceboy!/plantboy! au, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-06-10 10:57:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6953749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themarvel/pseuds/themarvel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil owns a botanical garden right in the heart of London- everyone knows about it. One night as he was locking up the garden for the weekend, he bumps into a beautiful, mysterious stranger. Will that night change his life for the better?</p>
<p>Plantboy!Phil/Spaceboy!Dan AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Corona Borealis

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This has got to be one of my favourite AU's ever. Fun fact: I actually started writing this during standardized testing. I'm glad that's over (I'm on summer holiday now), I finally have time to publish it! I really hope you enjoy the story!

The golden rays of the sun's light find their way through the translucent glass frame above the massive garden. Phil strides amongst the twisting pathways threading through the sea of green, with dashes of polychromatic blooms. His hands ever so slightly brush the delicate leaves and silken petals, heedful not to disturb the flora. The humid atmosphere of the garden was inevitably serene to Phil, much less tense than previous jobs he's pursued. 

 

The young man hums to himself as he places one foot in front of the other, almost clumsily. He adored this time of year- the flower buds begin to blossom, the days become longer. Phil takes a deep breath as he gazes at the greenery surrounding him, proud of all the effort he's put in to his beautiful garden. The man has always had a green thumb; he'd enjoy class science experiments with plants, as well as caring for his mum's vegetable garden from an extraordinarily young age. 

 

Phil finds his way back to the front of the garden, just in time to see his last visitors of the day out. 

 

"Goodbye!" Phil grins and waves his hand, "See you all soon!" The couple smiles and waves in return as the wander out of the heavy door. 

 

Phil sighs to himself as he grabs the silver keys to the garden. He takes a look around him, at his stunning ocean of colour. 

 

As he locks up the garden for the weekend, Phil gazes up at the hazy sky above him. The inky blue takes place of the orange glow, bright stars coming into view. He smiles up at the shining specks above him; he's really always had a fascination with stars and planets- wondering what kind of flora is present on other planets- even in another universe. It's a subject that often keeps him awake on restless nights. 

 

There happens to be a rather popular planetarium a few number of blocks from the quiet neighbourhood he lives in. Phil really has never thought about taking a trip there, he always seems to have plans. The young man begins walking to his /vintage/ silver PT Cruiser when he bumps into someone. 

 

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry..." Phil looks up at the stranger, only to meet enchanting coffee-coloured eyes. 

 

"I-um, it's my bad. I wasn't looking where I was going." The stranger glances down to his feet, "Are you alright? I mean, I ran into you pretty hard..." 

 

Phil takes in the stranger's sharp features, not entirely hearing the question. He was slightly shorter than the stranger, maybe a half inch or so. He takes in the way the young man's sepia hair curls at the ends, cascading intriguing shadows on his face. He wore all black- leather jacket and skinny jeans, even black boots, but it just made his skin perfect. The man's pale skin was dotted with dark freckles, making beautiful constellations on his skin. He's fidgeting with his hands and staring at Phil intensely, expecting an answer of some sort; an answer to a question Phil hadn't heard. 

 

"I'm sorry, could you repeat what you said?" Phil felt the blood rush to his cheeks, embarrassed he didn't hear the endearing stranger's words. 

 

"Oh, I asked if you were alright." The stranger scans Phil's face, awaiting an answer. 

 

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you. How about yourself?" Phil looks down at his white BOB'S. 

 

The stranger smiles, more to himself than anyone else, "I'm alright. So, uh, I-I should go then..." 

Phil glances up the meet the young man's gaze, "R-Right... hey, uh, you should come to the garden sometime...? I own the place..." he feels a smile start to form on his features.

The stranger grins with a light blush on his cheeks, "I'd love to. Tomorrow sound okay? I-I mean I could come another time-"

"Tomorrow's great. I-I'm Phil, by the way." 

The young man chuckles, to himself more than anyone else, "I'm Dan."

Phil grins, rose colouring his cheeks, "Nice to meet you, Dan."

Dan smiles softly as he watches Phil look down at his feet, "So, uh, I'll see you tomorrow, Phil."

Phil looks up at Dan and grins from ear to ear, "Yes, see you tomorrow."

Dan nods his head and continues down the pavement to his black Mazda CX-5, trying to keep from screaming out in excitement. He pulls his jacket closer to him, getting the chills from recalling those pools of blue you could get lost in. Phil's eyes reminded him of the sky early in the morning, just when the sun came up. Reminded him of the ice coating the roads in winter, the colour of the ocean in summer. 

"Dan..." Phil whispers to himself; he enjoys the way the name rolls off of his tongue. He smiles as he opens his car door, looking forward to the next day to come.

Dan hops into his car, not being able to keep the grin off of his face. He look to the right of him at Phil's car; his car as well as Phil's were the only ones left in the parking lot by that time. Dan laughs to himself at the old-fashioned car across from his. "Phil..." Dan says Phil's name over and over again, adoring how natural it sounded to him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So I've decided I'll be posting a new chapter every week. I hope you guys are having a good day! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

 

Phil wakes up with the light in his eyes. He sits up somewhat slowly and stretches his arms as he yawns, the covers and sheets piling around his waist. The man smiles, recalling his current plans for the day.  

Phil shoots up out of bed, only to hit his foot on his wardrobe. "OW!" Phil shrieks, jumping up and down as he cradles his reddening foot. 

After the moment of excruciating pain, Phil regains his posture and reaches for his thick-framed glasses. Finally being able to see, Phil makes his way to the shower and turned the water to the chilliest temperature possible to wake him up a bit.  

Phil sheds his clothing and steps into the smooth shower, icy water hitting his back. Phil was a tall man, so the water didn't quite reach the top of his head. Phil proceeds to wash himself while humming a cheerful tune. _This is going to be a marvelous day._  

After his stimulating shower, Phil waltzes to his wardrobe and looks at his rainbow of clothes. The young man scans over his selection, folding his arms and tapping his foot. His eyes settle on a light grey sweater littered with leaves of different shades of green. He pairs the sweater with black skinny jeans- classic Phil. 

With his soft sweater draped over his torso, he pads over to his kitchen and grabs his favourite coffee mug from the cupboard. Phil waltzes around the icy tiles of his kitchen floor. He places his coffee mug, adorned with delicate paintings of flowers, under his coffee machine. 

The scent of coffee fills the air of his flat. Phil grabs the coffee from the counter, seemingly too quickly, as it spills out of the side of the mug all onto the floor. The man sighs, deciding he'll just get some coffee from Starbucks. He strides over to the paper towels and grabs a handful, pressing them to the coffee soaked floor.  _Great way to start the day, Phil._ Once the mess is cleaned up, he walks to his living room and pulls on his shoes. 

Phil glances at the clock- _9:07._ He was supposed to meet Dan at the garden at 10. He has just enough time to grab some coffee for himself and Dan. The young man grabs his keys and walks out the door of his flat. To his advantage, there happens to be a Starbucks right next to his flat. 

Phil walks through the glass doors of the coffee shop, immediately greeted by the overwhelming scent of espresso. He looks around as he steps in line, then he sees him. Dan is coincidentally standing right in front of Phil in the line. Phil feels a small smile form on his face as he taps the man's shoulder. Dan jumps forward a little before he turns around. Dan's eyes land on Phil as he smiles. 

"Well, what a surprise seeing you here!" Phil exclaims, giggling as he covers his smile with his pale hand. Phil's eyes shift towards Dan's dimples. His smile just widens at the sight of them. It adds extra cuteness to the man. 

"Fancy seeing you here..." Dan chuckles and looks down, biting his lip. The taller man fidgets with his hands and looks up to meet Phil's blue gaze. "Coffee's on me." 

Phil looks surprised, "No, no, that's alright-" Dan cuts him off. "I insist. After all, you _are_ letting me see the garden when it's supposed to be closed." 

Phil looks at the man questioningly, "How'd you know?" 

"I may have looked the place up at three in the morning when I was bored." Dan smiles and winks at Phil's blushing form.  

Phil casts his eyes to the tile flooring of the shop. Dan scans Phil's figure, noteing his completely adorable sweater. "I like your sweater. It suits you." 

Phil looks up at Dan and smiles. "Thank you." He notices Dan's galaxy patterned sweater with his matching galaxy combat boots. "Your matching boots and sweater are adorable- I mean c-cool..." Dan grins as a blush forms on Phil's cheeks. "Thanks. So, what do you want?" 

"Um, the caramel macchiato." 

Dan meet's Phil's gaze, "That's literally my favourite drink ever." Phil laughs. 

Dan walks up to the counter, "Two venti caramel macchiatos, please." Dan hands them his card and turns to Phil and smiles. 

In no time, their drinks are ready to be picked up at the counter. Dan stands to go grab the hot drinks as Phil sits by the fogged up window. The raven-haired man traces his fingers on the glass in shapes of leaves and flowers. Dan walks over to Phil, two cups in his hands. He casts his gaze to Phil's fingertips tracing against the fogged glass. He smiles to himself as he sits down across from the man. 

"One venti caramel macchiato for the utterly endearing young man I am spending my day with." 

Phil smiles, taking the cup from Dan's hand, fingers brushing over his. "Thanks." Phil wraps both of his icy hands around the steaming drink, "So, uh, how was your morning?" 

Dan's smolting brown eyes lock with Phil's pools of blue, "It was okay, better when I ran into you here." Phil smiles. "What about yours?" 

Phil laughed, "Well, I injured my toe leaping out of bed this morning, then I spilled my original cup of coffee all over the floor. So, all in all, it sucked. But now it doesn't." Dan giggles. 

"Real smooth, Phil." Dan takes a sip of his drink, foam piling on his upper lip. Phil laughs as Dan's smile forms. _His laugh is so contagious._ Dan licks the foam from his lips while Phil is still laughing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again? How's everyone doing? I hope you're having a spectacular week! Sorry this chapter is so short- I have so much work to do, but I promise next chapter will be super long and amazing. Promise. I'm thinking next chapter will have more to do with Autumn? Yes? No? Let me know!

It is an unseasonably chilly morning. The glass above the sea of green is fogged up as Phil leads Dan into the entrance of the garden. The scent of the flowers' perfume surrounds them, the humid air taking it throughout the garden. "Welcome to my sea of green." Phil gestures with his arms, his face beaming. 

 

Dan grins, stepping further into the misty garden. The man looks around with wide eyes, taking in the ocean of colour. "Woah..." 

 

"So, uh, you like it?" Phil looks at Dan, shuffling his feet. 

 

"It's amazing." Dan gazes at the lavender orchids at the front of the garden. Phil's smile widens as he grabs Dan's hand, leading him into the endless maze of flora. Dan gawks at the marvelous growth of the plants, even those that aren't in season. They look beautiful. 

 

Phil takes Dan to a clearing in the middle of the garden, where there is a hill covered in grass, surrounded by colourful roses and morning glories. He drags the young man down into a sitting position next to him, laughing. Dan smiles at Phil's laughing form, wondering how he got so lucky. 

 

"So, tell me about yourself." Phil says, breaking the comfortable silence. 

 

Dan smiles,"Well, my full name is Daniel James Howell. My birthday is June 11th. I was born in Workingham. My favourite planet is Jupiter. Your turn." 

 

"My full name is Phillip Michael Lester. My birthday is January 30th- born in Rawtenstall. And my favourite flower is a dandelion." Phil locks eyes with Dan, grinning. 

 

Dan plays with the end of his sweater, looking down at the hem. "I'm not really one to go out in the sun- or even outside for the matter." 

 

Phil's smile turns into a worried frown, "Oh, we can go somewhere else if you'd like-" 

 

"I love it here. It's beautiful. There's just not many places as amazing as this." Dan smiles at Phil, easing him. 

 

Phil let out a breath and grinned, "Thank you. I spend almost all of my time here- do everything for these plants. I just kind of feel myself here, you know?" 

 

Dan gazes at Phil, taking in his presence, "Yeah... I feel that way at the planetarium. I work there. Something about not knowing exactly what's out there is fascinating to me. And the stars- the stars just phase me. Knowing the light we see from them is millions of years old by the time it reaches our eyes, it- it puts me in a trance. It's one of the most beautiful things I've encountered." 

 

Phil smiled at Dan, adoring the way his eyes light up and his voice quickens when he talks about such a big thing in his life. That's when Phil realises- Dan is the moon, and he is the sun.


End file.
